4-team bracket
The smallest bracket worth drawing: two semi-finals, one final, three matches. It fits a single evening — and it is the smallest size that can still run a third-place match.
Editing is designed for desktop. On this screen you can view the bracket; open the tools below if you need to change something.
Everything stays editable: type your own team names, set scores and dates, then export the bracket as an image — a PNG in three sizes, no watermark.
How a 4-team bracket works
Four teams fill the bracket exactly, so there are no byes: 3 matches over two rounds. The standard draw is 1 vs 4 and 2 vs 3, which puts the top two seeds on opposite sides so they can only meet in the final.
Four is also the minimum for a third-place match, because it needs two beaten semi-finalists. With four teams, every team plays at least twice if you add it.
Three formats, six matches, one evening
A 4-team round robin is 6 matches over 3 rounds — each team plays 3 games — and it produces a real ranking instead of a single elimination path.
A 4-team double elimination bracket is also 6 matches (2N − 2), but the matches are not parallel: the losers bracket waits on the winners bracket. If you have two courts and one evening, the round robin schedules more easily.
When four is the right size
Finals day, a club championship, a semifinal playoff between two leagues, or the last stage of a longer competition. Four teams also keep the schedule honest: three matches fit in a lunch break, six need an evening.
Frequently asked questions
- How many matches are in a 4-team bracket?
- Three: two semi-finals and the final. Add a third-place match and it becomes four.
- Who plays whom?
- With standard seeding, 1 vs 4 and 2 vs 3 in the semi-finals, so seeds 1 and 2 can only meet in the final.
- Is a round robin better for 4 teams?
- If you have the time, yes: 6 matches over 3 rounds means every team plays 3 games, and the final standings rank everybody instead of producing one winner and three exits.